Roy Hodgson, appearing on Match of the Day after watching at the Etihad Stadium, may have absolved Hart from any blame for Everton’s goal, but the City and England No.1 knew he should have done better.

“Joe felt he could have got a stronger hand to it. But ­sometimes it’s really hard for any player when you’re not doing well.”

After his bungling display against Bayern Munich, in which he was at fault for two goals in City’s 3-1 defeat, Hart found himself under the unforgiving glare of media and fan scrutiny.

A clean sheet and a composed display would have gone a long way to ending the debate about whether he should keep his place for club and country.

But his failure to keep out Lukaku’s shot, and some hesitant moments thereafter, confirmed Hart as a goalkeeper short on confidence and assurance, two of the character traits that helped propel him to the top so early in his career.

With England facing Montenegro on Friday and Poland next week in crucial World Cup qualifiers, his loss of form, given England’s lack of alternative options, could not have come at a worse time for the country. “Most of the lads saw him a bit down in the week,” said ­Zabaleta. “That’s why it is ­important as team-mates we need to support all the players.

“He has to show his strong personality and that he’s coming back to his best. I’m sure he will as he is a great goalkeeper.”

But there is no hiding from the fact he is struggling to produce the consistency of performance that saw him become England No.1 at the age of 24 and touted as one of the most accomplished keepers in the world.

City defender Joleon Lescott, also culpable for Everton’s goal by failing to challenge Lukaku, was honest enough to admit as much. But he backed Hart to rediscover his best form.

“Joe hasn’t done what he has without being able to take ­criticism and deal with it,” said Lescott.

Everton took the lead when Lukaku skipped past Lescott and swept his shot beyond Hart, whose weak right hand showed the extent to which his ­confidence his suffered.

City’s response was immediate, Yaya Toure playing a sublime ball through to Alvaro Negredo, who drilled it past Tim Howard.

Sergio Aguero outpaced Sylvain Distin to score from a tight angle just before the break, then got lucky when his penalty – awarded for a dubious foul by Seamus Coleman on Zabaleta – hit a post and bounced back in off Howard’s head.

After defeats to Aston Villa and Bayern Munich, this was an important win for City.

For Hart, however, there would seem to be some way to go before he emerges from his crisis of confidence.